The Battalion
OPINION
2
Monday, February 26,1990
Opinion Page Editor Ellen Hobbs 845-3314
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If you don’t like traditions, leave
EDITOR:
We have endured letters from students who were opposed to bonfire, ex
hausted from the rivalry between A&M and t.u. or offended by the lable of
“two-percenter” they received bec ause they did not participate in yells at foot
ball games. We have listened to students who think the Corps unit runs are
selfish and those who are appalled because some people think that Aggies
should make the time to come to Silvet l aps to honor fellow students who
have passed away. We read the comments of one Carol Malone who says A&M
is "infected with narrow-minded snobs,” and we’ve had enough. ,
We love Texas A&M almost as much as we love the Lord. We love the
Corps of Cadets, Silver Taps and we sure as hell love the Fightin' Texas Aggie
Bonfire. Both of our fathers attended A&M and so will all of our children. We
love all traditions here at A&M and have one thing to say to two-percenters
like Malone and anyone who feels the same way she does: You make us
VOMIT.
If you don’t enjoy people who take pride in their school, that’s fine with
us. Leave! If you think tradition suppresses diversity, and you feel a burning
desire to stand out in a crowd, go to Austin. They have all the freaks you can
handle over there.
Brad Wehner ’93
Todd Tomlin ’93
Have an opinion? Express it!
Letters tv the editoi should not exceed 300 words in length. The editorial staff reserve^ the right to edit letters
for style mid length, hut will make every effort to maintain the author's intent. There is no guarantee that
letters submitted will be printed.
Forest Service’s clearcutting policy abominable
Amen to Mike Worsham’s article on
clearcutting! Clearcutting as a practice is
wasteful, but clearcutting as a Nat ional
Forest Service policy is downright
abominable. It is time for us to adopt a
new attitude towards wilderness areas
— one of conservation rather than
manipulation. In fact, a very broad
conservation attitude must be adopted
by all of us it we wish to maintain our
present quality of life.
The two numbers six billion and 10
million reflect two values, one of which
is increasing as the other is decreasing.
Six billion is the projected global human
population by the year 2000. Six billion
of us! A little arithmetic will reveal this
as equivalent (roughly) to: 46 United
Stales of Americas; 4,000 Houstons or
77,935 capacity Kyle Fields. The
number 10 million reflects the estimate
of the total number of species inhabiting
the Earth. We are not alone! ’The
Animal Welfare Institute estimates that
20 percent of these will be extinct by
2000. One out of five species! Extinction
rates are rising rapidly : from
approximately 25 during the years
1600-1700, to possibly one per day
today. This number continues to
increase.
So what can we do? This is where our
new conservation ethics will come in
handy. First, we must realize that
everything comes f rom the Earth, and
humans, acting as tenants, are now
responsible for its general upkeep.
Humans are still animals, our needs are
all the same: food, water, oxygen and
shelter. We cannot escape this fact, it is
very important to remember this.
Second, we should remember the
phrase, “Good planets are hard to find.”
We only have one Earth and none of the
planets in our solar system are capable
of sustaining us. At the level of present
technology, it would take us close to
90,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri,
our closest neighbor star. And how can
we assume our new’ planet search will be
satisfied there? So we must remember
that we only have one of these Earth-
things, and its resources are limited. If
our population exceeds or wastes these
resources, people (and other species)
will die. Ecologists call this the “(arrying
capacity” of an area, and it is a concept
that is very real. Resources will limit the
size of any population.
So what am I getting at? Well, all this
talk should be telling us something: It’s
time to start living resprtnsibly.’Talk is
nice, but talk is cheap and we all know
actions speak louder than words. Take
action! Do something; there’s muc h we
can do about it. Recycling, for example,
benefits everyone and everything.
Through recycling we can reduce our
intake of Earth’s resources through
conservaiton of raw materials and
energy. This will also decrease waste
policies which destroy habitat (i.e.
pollution emmisions, w aste in landfills/
clearcutting of forests). There is a group
on campus who can give you a list of
places in Bryan-College Station that
recycle everything from aluminum cans
to dead batteries (Texas Environmental
Action Coalition). Another way to take
action is by wa iting our political leaders.
They really do listen to us! If you read
Mike’s column and it disturbed you,
send a letter to Phil Gramm and tell him
so. Phil has a very hard time reading
minds, he won’t know if you don't tell
him. Finally we can conserve everything
we can’t recycle — use less energy, less
water and reuse things you would
otherwise throw away (grocery sacks, tin
foil, use cloth instead of paper napkins.
towels). Let the companies you spend
voui money on know you don’t like
them using plastic. Styrofoam®or
whatever it is they’re using. All of these
methods are direct ac tion wecantaketo
help conserve.
Action is the key — if we don’t do
anything about this problem, it will not
go aw a\ All of us, as tenants on Earth
must realize out role in this process and
what we c an do to help out. Six billion is
continuing to rise; 10 million is
continuing to fall: How long will we
wait?
Mike Smith is a senior wildlife and
fisheries si'iences major.
umn
Just a few comments regarding the
anti-gun article published in The
Battalion on Feb. 7. Timm Doolen’s
article outlined some good and bad
points, but mostly missed the target.
Doolen asked the question: “What
purpose do semi-automatic weapons
fulfill in a civilized society such as the
United States?”
First, calling the United States a
civilized societ y is a matter of opinion.
Ask the many foreigners in our
community about American civility and
most w ill point to the sharp dif ferences
in crime rates between the U.S. and the
rest of the world. An industrialized
society, definately yes. But a civilized
society, sometimes.
For more opinions on the civility of
the Linked States, you can also ask
police officers and crime victims from
Los Angeles, Houston, Washington,
D.C., Detroit,...
Doolen asked if the Second
Amendment is a good reason for having
semi-automatic weapons? Maybe. I have
to agree with Doolen, however, that
some restrictions should be imposed.
After all, can you imagine what this
count ry would be like if you could
legally buy a MAC-10, Teflon-coated
bullets or a real AK-47?
One point of concern and
disagreement not mentioned in the
article is that it’s not just the contents of
very important to rememoer mis. ouiei wise uuow away ^giocciy satx
that Second, we should remember the can do about it. Recycling, for example, foil, use cloth instead of paper napk
rooting for gun control missed
he mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmtmmm certain weapons, then w r e can compare that fast.
Jean-Michel that with the ownership of certain Moreover, is it necessary for a hig
> K.Urt iVlCtciyCr automobiles. srhonl kid formlCcrf* kid fTir that
As with all columns, viewpoints
expressed in Reader's Opinions are
not necessarily those of The Battalion.
Persons interested in submitting a
Reader's Opinion should contact the
Opinion Page Editor at 845-3314.
the target
Reader’s Opinion
the gun control laws, but the public
officials’ and certain anti-gun
organizations’ w^ay of having changes
made to the various states’ and national
constitution. Most are trying to, or have,
bypassed the normal procedures set bv
t hose guidelines and law's, something
that could be considered a crime in
itself . If the changes in the law were
about something less emotional than
gun control, things would not be done
this way. Take the environmental issues,
for example.
Doolen also asked if hunting was a
legitimate purpose for using a semi
automatic weapon. Maybe. Certainly
there is no better substitute for a well-
aimed shot, but if a hunter wants to use
a semi-auto to hunt with, and he does so
according to the law, then let him.
Being a hunter myself, not only have
I never heard of anyone blasting a deer
with 30 rounds, but I also doubt it
happens often enough to worry about it.
By the way finnn, what constitutes a
“regular rifle?”
If the concern is because of the
danger imposed by the ownership of
certain weapons, then we can compare
that with the ownership of certain
automobiles.
If semi-automatic weapons should be
banned, or at least owned in the most
restrictive way gun control groups can
force legislatures to make them,
shouldn’t fast cars also be resticted?
Let’s ask: what purpose do fast cars
fulfill in a civilized society such as the
United States? Is there a real need to
own an automobile that has the
capability to do 0 to 60 in two eye blinks?
Or have the capacity to move at 140
mph? With the exception of Germany’s
that fast.
Moreover, is it necessary for a high
school kid (or college kid, for that
matter) to be given the opportunity to
turn his parents' hand-me-down Chevy
into a hot-rod? Here you have your
average 17-year-old at the control of a
3000-pound vehicle capable of attaining
very high velocities in a very short time,
out to improve himself and impress
everyone, sober or not.
Should there be groups out to
convince legislatures that certain
vehicles fulfill no sensible purpose and
therefore should be prohibited?
If semi-automatic weapons should be banned, or at least owned in the
most restrictive way gun control groups can force legislatures to make
them, shouldn’t fast cars also be resticted? Let’s ask: what purpose do
fast cars fulfill in a civilized society such as the United States? Is there
a real need to own an automobile that has the capability to do 0 to 60 in
two eye blinks? Or have the capacity to move at 140 mph?
autobahn and certain salty flats in the
middle of Utah, I don’t know of a place
where it is relatively safe or OK to drive
Maybe, instead, it makes more sense
to argue for a judicial system with some
backbone to interpret and help enforce
the law s and punish habitual speedsters,
environmental polluters (individualsor
corporations), irresponsible drivers
(young or old, drunk or sober) or gun
owners whose sole purpose for havinga
weapon is to commit crimes (drug
dealers, poachers, thieves).
Maybe an aspiring crook or potential
Rambo will stop and think about what
he's about to do, knowing that when he
gets caught, he will be punished. I mean
really punished.
Maybe civility is something that has to
be enforced?
Maybe what Doolen should have
asked was: “Is this whole business about
gun control the real issue we are faced
with?” Maybe it’s not just Doolen, butall
these judges, pro-gun lobbies, anti-gun
groups and politicians that are also
missing the target.
Jean-Michel Kurt Metayer is a junior
mechanical engineering major.
As with all columns, viewpoints
expressed in Reader’s Opinions are
not necessarily those of The Battalion.
Persons interested in submitting a
Reader’s Opinion should contact the
Opinion Page Editor at 845-3314.
Adventures In Cartooning
by Don Atkinson Jr.
The Battalion
(USPS 045 360)
Member of
Texas Press Association
Sout hwest Journalism Conference
The Battalion Editorial Board
Scot Walker, Editor
Monique Threadgill,
Managing Editor
Ellen Hobbs, Opinion Page Editor
Melissa Naumann. City Editor
Cindy McMillian, Lisa Robertson,
News Editors
Richard Tijerina, Sports Editor
Fredrick D. Joe, Art Director
Mary-Lynne Rice, Lifestyles Editor
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